Delta Fire updates: Blaze now 22,000 acres with no containment

The Delta fire burned more than 5,000 acres Wednesday and still remained out of control.
Damon Arthur, Record Searchlight

Lake Boulevard/Highway 299 is packed Thursday afternoon, Sept. 6, 2018 as motorists look for alternative routes, given the closure of Interstate 5 north of Redding because of the Delta Fire.(Photo: California Department of Transportation)

The fire is now 22,000 acres and still has no containment, officials said.

Update at 7:00 p.m.

Castle Rock Elementary School in Castella will remain closed on Friday because of its nearness to the fire area, evacuations and road closures, superintendent and principal Autumn Funk announced Thursday evening in an email.

Update at 2:25 p.m.

New evacuations are being ordered for Trinity County today.

The newest roads that are being evacuated are East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road going east toward the Shasta-Trinity county line. There's also a hard road closure at the intersection of East Side and East Fork roads for everyone except residents.

Meanwhile, there's a new evacuation advisory for those living at the East Fork/East Side Road junction, going west to Highway 3 north to Ramshorn Road.

With winds shifting to the north and the fire heading back toward the freeway, it doesn't appear Interstate 5 will reopen today, Caltrans spokeswoman Denise Yergenson said.

The freeway is closed in both directions between Fawndale Road north of Redding and Mott Road south of Mount Shasta.

Traffic is heavy in Redding in the area of I-5 and the Lake Boulevard exit as motorists take Highway 299 east toward Burney to detour around the I-5 closure.

Update at 11 a.m.

According to CHP, the closure at Fawndale is open to residents, and a hard closure was issued at Riverview Drive.

Update at 10:30 a.m.

Traffic is blocked near Oak Run on Highway 299 because of a jackknifed big rig, and two people are being transported to the hospital, according to scanner reports.

CHP reports that a vehicle collided with the big rig, which is a mile east of Oak Run. The road is blocked both ways on Highway 299, which is causing traffic to back up, according to CHP.

Highway 299 has become the detour route for motorists who are unable to get on Interstate 5 because of the Delta Fire

ORIGINAL STORY:

What direction is the fire headed?

Early Thursday, the western edge of the fire burned to the northwest and entered Trinity County for the first time. The Delta Fire may potentially burn east into the Hirz Fire and potentially west into the Carr Fire, fire officials said.

The fire tripled in size overnight and remains out of control. It was reported at 15,294 acres with zero percent containment.

How much damage has it caused?

Three structures have been damaged and no buildings have been confirmed as destroyed. About 150 structures are threatened, mainly year-round and seasonal homes that are located between the communities of Vollmers and Gibson.

The three damaged structures are listed as commercial business intermix, said Brandon Vaccaro, public information officer for the Delta Fire.

“It could be a motel or a bed-and-breakfast potentially, or a building that people could live in that also has a business in it,” he said.

When will Interstate 5 reopen?

There is no estimate on when I-5 will reopen because burned-out vehicles still litter the freeway and must be cleared. It's possible the freeway may not reopen today, officials said.

Trees adjacent to the freeway also have burned and could be in danger of falling. Officials must determine how many must be cut down before the they can safely reopen the highway.

"We are trying to get in there right now to assess the damage and safety concerns," Caltrans spokeswoman Denise Yergenson said. "Right now we know we have damaged culverts, we have damaged guard rail, we may have damaged pavement where the trucks burned, but we're not sure."

With many burned vehicles on the freeway, "it will take a while to clear the roadway," Vaccaro said.

In addition, trees have burned adjacent to the freeway.

"So, I will have to get some people through those to see what needs to be cut down so that the highway can be safely opened. There’s a lot of work out there that needs to be done on the freeway before it can be safely opened," Vaccaro said.

Once the stretch of I-5 has reopened, motorists should expect long delays, closed ramps and the presence of law enforcement, according to Caltrans.

In the meantime, big rigs have been banned on Highway 3 from Yreka to Weaverville.

"We had one get stuck last night. They just probably couldn't negotiate the curves," Yergenson said.

The freeway is closed in both directions between Fawndale Road north of Redding and Mott Road south of Mount Shasta.

Traffic is heavy in Redding in the area of I-5 and the Lake Boulevard exit as motorists take Highway 299 east toward Burney to detour around the I-5 closure.

What about other travel options?

Amtrak's Coast Starlight service, which stops in Redding, is disrupted Thursday between Sacramento and Klamath Falls, Oregon. Passengers traveling between Sacramento and Klamath Falls will be transferred to connecting buses to get to their ticketed destination, Amtrak spokeswoman Olivia Irwin said.

When and where did the fire start?

The fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday near the Vollmers Road exit off I-5 north of Fawndale. Initially reported as three fires, they merged into one. The fire is human-caused but authorities have not been more specific.

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The closure of Interstate 5 due to the Delta Fire forced many truckers to wait off the freeway as they wait Thursday morning, Sept. 6, 2018, for the freeway to reopen.(Photo: Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight)

What areas are evacuated?

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for residents along the I-5 corridor between Exits 707 and 714 along the freeway, as well as in Trinity County. The new evacuations in Trinity are for people on East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road going and east toward the Shasta-Trinity county line.

Areas of Trinity and all of the city of Dunsmuir also are under an evacuation warning, which means residents don't have to leave yet, but should be packed and ready to if things take a turn for the worse.

Those warnings are in effect for the East Fork/East Side Road junction, going west to Highway 3 north to Ramshorn Road in Trinity County.

Where can I go if I've been evacuated?

The Red Cross has opened a shelter at Mount Shasta Community Center, 629 Alder St., Mount Shasta.

How is this affecting schools?

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The Delta Fire flared up again Saturday night, Sept. 8, 2018 in the area of Dog Creek Road and Vollmers exit east of Interstate 5. Helicopters circling above dropped water at the top of the ridge line. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

The Delta Fire flared up again Saturday night, Sept. 8, 2018 in the area of Dog Creek Road and Vollmers exit east of Interstate 5. Helicopters circling above dropped water at the top of the ridge line. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

The Delta Fire flared up again Saturday night, Sept. 8, 2018 in the area of Dog Creek Road and Vollmers exit east of Interstate 5. Helicopters circling above dropped water at the top of the ridge line. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

The Delta Fire flared up again Saturday night, Sept. 8, 2018 in the area of Dog Creek Road and Vollmers exit east of Interstate 5. Helicopters circling above dropped water at the top of the ridge line. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and U.S. Forest Service personnel work together on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018 at Sims Road and the Interstate 5 overpass to look into all the resources to plot out where they can put out the fire . (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Eduardo Velazquez, left, Gustavo Ambriz, and Kevin Jarrett, all with the Williams Fire Department patrol Gibson Road, where there were downed power line on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Highway Specialty Co. workers on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018 repair wooden posts on the guardrails the Delta Fire burned out along I-5 south of Lamoine. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Highway Specialty Co. workers on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018 repair a section of the rail where the Delta Fire burned out wooden posts on the guardrails along I-5 south of Lamoine. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Brandon Harsh, left, and Garhett Parent, both Highway Specialty Co. workers repair a section of the guardrail the Delta Fire burned along I-5 south of Lamoine on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Highway Specialty Co. workers on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8, 2018 repair a section of the rail where the Delta Fire burned out wooden posts on the guardrails along I-5 south of Lamoine. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

While on a break, firefighter Todd Wallace sharpens a chainsaw after putting out flareups from the Delta Fire along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit on Friday night, Seot. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters from the Yocha Dehe Fire Department work together to put out a flames from the Delta Fire along I-5 at the Earl Sholes Memorial Bridge on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters from the Yocha Dehe Fire Department work together to put out flames from the Delta Fire along I-5 at the Earl Sholes Memorial Bridge on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters keep standing guard along I-5 north of the Pollard Flat exit as the Delta Fire flares up in the background on Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Firefighters from Yocha Dehe Fire Department work together Friday evening, Sept. 7, 2018 to put out flames from the Delta Fire along I-5 at the Earl Sholes Memorial Bridge. (Hung T. Vu/ Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Fire Capt. Norm Alexander of Yocha Dehe Fire in Yolo County puts some water on the flames of the Delta Fire as it burns by the I-5 Earl Sholes Memorial Bridge on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. (Hung T. Vu/Special to the Record Searchlight) Hung T. Vu

Lake Boulevard/Highway 299 is packed Thursday afternoon, Sept. 6, 2018 as motorists look for alternative routes, given the closure of Interstate 5 north of Redding because of the Delta Fire. California Department of Transportation

A truck driver got stuck trying to negotiate a hairpin turn on Highway 3 north of Trinity Center in Trinity County. Highway 3 was used as a detour around I-5 while it was closed Wednesday during the Delta Fire. photo courtesy of Preston Arthur

The Delta Fire plume is seen from North Market Street in Redding in this Caltrans photo on Twitter. I-5 was closed northbound at Fawndale Road and southbound at Mott Road on Wednesday evening. California Department of Transportation